Method for utilizing solar energy.



H. E. WILLSIE.

METHOD FOR UTILIZING SOLAR ENERGY. `APIPLIMTION FILED Nov. 5, 1903.

. Taall; *whom z'tmay Gomera:

' STATES PATENT-OFFICE,

'HENnY n. wrLLsIE, O E NEW Yoan, it. Y.

' METHOD' For. UrILIzIN@ sem airliner'.

Specincaton ofLctters Iatent.

Patented June 23,1914,

Application filed Noixembcr 5, 1903. Serial No. 179,884.

-Be it known that I, HENRY E. Winters,

a citizen; of the United States, and resident of New York, in the county of New York and; State of New York., havel invented certain new, and useful; Improvements in Methods'for Utilizing Solar- Energy, of which thefollowing is a'. specification.

My invention relates. to. improvements. in solar apparatus in which solar heat' 1s collected: and stored for the purpose of doing 4'useful work..

The objects ofmy invention are to prof vide methods for the collection of intermittent and diffuse solar rays, for the storage of; such heat and for-its subsequent use.

. I attain these objectsby the devices shown lows: The suns rays shining through thev Vthermostat 11 o'pens the valve 12 permit-v ting. water in the reservoir 13 to iiow in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure `1i is a diagrammatical plan of the entireapparatus; Fig, 2, a diagrammatical elevation of the heat collecting and storage.

devices; Fig. 3, al sectional view along the line 3/-y; and Fig. 4a, sectional view along thelinc Similar characters refer to similarl parts throughout the several-views The operation of' my invention is as foltransparent cover of the sola-r.- heater 10 raise the temperature therein until the through'the solar heater and4 thus become heated. This solar heated water passes ir to the insulated reservoir 14 where it is stol ad for use.. The solar heater shown consists of an inclined receptacle 15 adapte'd to hold water or oil or other heat collecting liquids and also adapted to preventthe escape of heat. At the head .of the incline is a distributing trough 16 vand at the footl of the incline is a collecting trough 17. The distributing trough is connected to thereservoir 13 by the pipe 19, and the collecting trough is connected to the. reservoir 14 by the pipe 18. The thermostat 11 consists of a cylinder partly filled with an expansible 'substance like oil or mercury acting against a piston connected by the rod 20 to the valve 12. Its function is to regulate the water flowing through the solar heater in proportion to the lamount of solar heat received, so' that the heated water stored in reservoir 14 will have a predetermined temperature. The functionA of. the distributing trough 16 is to arrange thewater in; a thin film on layer over the' bed.- of' the heater.

To obtain. higher temperatures than may be had` by the use ofthe plain window glass i cover, 22 'the solar heater prism glass 21 is used for part of the transparent cover. This prism glass concentrates the parallel solar rays,- r, 1f, into bands or lines, b, of higher temperature. The Water flowing through these lines or' bands of higher temperature acquires heat. This construction is-shown in Figs.. 3 and 4, In Fig. 1 part Iof th2V lass `cover is broken away.' in the reservoir 14 the valve 23 is opened permitting the solar heated water to flow -through the pipe`23a intofthe-'chamber 24 Where heat is taken from it. The cooled Water is taken from the bottom of the vchamber through the pipe 25, to the centrifugal into the reservoir 13 tobegin again the heating cycle." Within the reservoir 211 is avaporizer 28, adapted to contain sulfur dioxid vor other volatile liquid, connected to the vapor turjbine of motor 29.- The exhaust .from thisA turbine is liquefied in the condenser 30 and 'returned to the 'vaporizer by the' feed -pumfp 31.

To illustrate a means of doing useful work, the centrifugal pump 32 is, attached to thel shaft 33,1drivenby. the turbine 29.'

The pump '32 is adapted to lift water from a well, flow it about the condenserv and then out upon land to be irrigated.

verted into continuous and uniform power.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1. The method herein ous mechanical .power which consists in, first, collecting the diifuse and varying solar heat' rays by .forcibly circulating a substance en it is desired touse the heat stored l .26 which clevates it through the pipe 27 A sov . described, of trans@ forming solar heat into practicallyk continu'- A, in amounts to correspond with the solar heat variations, over a large area exposed to solar heat and then temporarily accumulating the solar heated substance A in an insulated reservoir; second, generating from a fluid B a vapor with pressure t0 operate an engine with a surface condenser cycle, by continuously bringing such quantities of substance A into proximity of Huid B as will transfer from substance A to fluid B the heat required for the desired operation of the engine.

2. The method herein described of transforming solar heat into practically continuous mechanical power which consists in, first, concentrating the ditfuse solar rays into zones of higher temperatures in a solar heatcr, collecting the concentrated solar heat by forcibly circulating a substance A, in amounts to correspond with the solar heat variations, over'a large area exposed to solar heat andtemporarily accumulating the solar heated substance A in an insulated reservoir; second, generating from a fluid B a vapor with pressure to operate an engine by continuously bringing such quantities of substance A into proximity of fluid B as will transfer `from substance A to iiuid B the heat required for the desired ope eration of the engine. v

3. The method of making solar heat available for practically continuous use which consists in, first, mechanically circulating a substance, exposed to the varying and diti'use solar ra'ys, over a large area in a solar heater, and then temporarily accumulating the solar heated substance in an insulated reservoir;

second withdrawing from the reservoir the heated substances in continuous quantities and removing from the substance for use a portion of the heat.

4. The method of making solar heat Aavailable for practically continuous use, which consists in, first, mechanically circulating a substance, exposed to the dili'use and varying solar rays, over a large area in a solar heater, and then temporarily accumulating the solar heated substance in an insulated reservoir; second, withdrawing from the reservoir the heated substance in continuous quantities, removing from the substance a portion of the heat and returning the substance to the reservoir.

5. The method of making solar heat available for practically continuous use which consists in first, forcibly circulating a substance exposed to the varying and diffuse solar rays over a large area in a solar heater, in amounts to correspond with the solar heat variations and then temporarily accumulating the solar heated substance in an insulated reservoir; second, withdrawing from the reservoir the heated substance in continuous quantities, and removing from the substance a portion of the heat.

G. The method of making solar heat available for practically continuous use which consists in concentrating the varying and diluse solarrays into Zones of higher temperature in a solar heater, forcibly circulating a heat absorbing substance through the zones of higher temperature in amounts to correspond with the solar heat variations, and then accumulating the solar heated substance in an insulated reservoir until the heat is needed for use.

' Signed at New York in they county of New York and State of New York this thirtieth day of June A. D. 1903.

y HENRY E. WILLSIE.

Witnesses:

WALTER Cox, FREDERICK HOWELL. 

